''Beyond Elysian Fields'' is the sixth studio album by

Hugh Cornwell Hugh Alan Cornwell (born 28 August 1949) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and writer, best known for being the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the punk rock and new wave band the Stranglers from 1974 to 1990. Since leaving the ...

, released by

Invisible Hands Music Invisible Hands Music is a UK-based independent record label. The label is owned and run entirely by Charles Kennedy who started out by self-releasing cassettes sold at gigs by his first band 'Night World' in 1987. The first CD release was ''F ...

on 4 October 2004 in the UK, with a worldwide release in 2005. It was produced by

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

and Danny Kadar. The album title refers to

Elysian Fields Avenue Elysian Fields Avenue is a broad, straight avenue in New Orleans named after the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris. It courses south to north from the Lower Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain, a distance of approximately . The avenue i ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Critical reception

Adam Morton of ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' complimented Cornwell's "clipped, dry delivery" on the songs "Under Her Spell" and "Beauty on the Beach", but added that "melodies wane and lyrics become laboured on later tracks" such as "24/7". Helen Wright of '' musicOMH'' described the album as "something like a cross between ob Dylan and Dire Straits at their best ... with a dash of the

Traveling Wilburys The Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Originating from an idea discussed by Harrison and Lynne during the sessions for Harrison's 1987 album ' ...

for good measure." Wright also cautioned, "If you preferred the early Stranglers you'll probably hate this album." Graham Rockingham ''

The Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation,''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. History ''The Ham ...

'' wrote, "''Beyond Elysian Fields'' doesn't contain the in-your-face attitude of Stranglers' songs like "

Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

", " Grip" or "Hangin' Around" ... but it does contain that sardonic sense of humor and unmistakable voice. Cornwell's songwriting ventures into all sorts of unexpected territory."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album liner notes. *

- vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards (1, 9), toy piano (11), handclaps (5) *Steve Lawrence - bass, organ (3, 7), piano (10) *Windsor McGilvray - drums, percussion *

- recorder (2, 11), castanets (2), handclaps (5) *Scott Bourgeois - flute (5, 6) ;Technical *Tony Visconti - producer, mixing (Looking Glass, New York) * Danny Kadar - producer, engineer (Truck Farm, New Orleans), cover photography *

Mario J. McNulty Mario J. McNulty (born December 1978) is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer and audio engineer based in New York City, United States. He has worked with David Bowie, Prince (musician), Prince, Nine Inch Nails, The B-52s, Julian Lenn ...

- engineer (Looking Glass, New York) *Chris Goulstone - mastering *Ra - design, artwork *Steve Double - cover photography *Hugh Cornwell - sleeve concept

''Beyond Acoustic Fields''

''Beyond Acoustic Fields'' (2007), is a limited edition CD, only available on tour, performed by Cornwell with acoustic guitar and vocal only and was recorded by Tony Visconti at his New York studio Looking Glass in 2003, to give Visconti an idea of the songs before producing the full album with the band. Track listing: #"Cadiz" #"Beauty on the Beach" #"The Land of a Thousand Kisses" #"24/7" #"Henry Moore" #"The Story of Harry Power" #"Picked Up by the Wind" #"Do Right Bayou" #"Under Her Spell"

References

{{Authority control 2004 albums Hugh Cornwell albums Albums produced by Tony Visconti